Migrate from Any Hosting (Manual)

Migrate from Any Hosting (Manual)

Sometimes a host ties your hands — no plugin installs, locked-down admin access, or a WAF (Web Application Firewall — a security layer that filters incoming traffic) that blocks outside tools from touching your site. The manual migration method lets you move any WordPress site to FlyWP by exporting your own files and database, then handing them to FlyWP to finish the job. It works even when the automatic method can’t get a foothold.

When to Use Manual Migration

The manual method is the right choice in these situations:

• Your host blocks plugin installations or limits WordPress admin access
• A WAF or firewall blocks REST API (Application Programming Interface — a way for two systems to talk to each other) requests from external servers
• The source site uses non-standard WordPress configurations
• You have a database export and file archive ready to upload
• The automatic method failed due to connectivity issues

Required Information

When you start a manual migration, you provide the site details yourself rather than having FlyWP fetch them automatically:

Field	Description
Site URL	The current URL of the WordPress site
Admin Username	The WordPress admin username
Admin Email	The admin email address
Database Size (estimate)	An approximate size to help FlyWP plan resources
PHP Version	The PHP version the site currently runs on

Starting a Manual Migration

Navigate to your destination server, then follow these steps:

1. Click Create New Site.
2. Select Migrate as the site type.
3. Choose the Manual tab.
4. Fill in the required site details.
5. Click Create Site.

FlyWP creates the new site and provides instructions for completing the migration.

Completing the Migration

With the destination site created, you transfer the content from your old host:

1. Export your database from the source host using phpMyAdmin (a browser-based database management tool), WP-CLI (a command-line tool for WordPress), or your host’s control panel.
2. Upload the database dump through the FlyWP dashboard or via SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol — an encrypted way to transfer files to a server).
3. Transfer your site files — especially the wp-content/ folder — via SFTP or the FlyWP File Manager.
4. FlyWP handles the database import and URL replacements once your files are in place.

Tip

If your host provides SSH (Secure Shell — a secure way to run commands on a remote server) access, use mysqldump for the fastest and most reliable database export. Run it with the --single-transaction flag to avoid locking tables on a live site.

WAF and Firewall Guidance

If the automatic migration failed because of a WAF or firewall, try these steps before falling back to the manual method:

• Check your host’s security panel for the option to whitelist specific IP addresses.
• Temporarily disable any security plugins on the source site (such as Wordfence or Sucuri).
• Some hosts block REST API access by default — check their documentation for how to enable it.
• If none of these work, proceed with the manual method described on this page.

Note

The manual method takes more hands-on effort than the automatic method because you export and transfer files yourself. The trade-off is reliability — it works for any WordPress site, no matter how locked-down the hosting environment.

Post-Migration

Once all files and the database are transferred, FlyWP automatically:

• Replaces URLs in the database to match the new domain
• Updates wp-config.php with new database credentials
• Runs health checks to verify the site loads

After confirming the site works correctly, update your DNS (Domain Name System — the system that points your domain to the right server) records to direct traffic to the new server.

Related Pages

• Migration Overview
• Migrate from Other Hosting (Automatic)
• Clone and Transfer Sites
• SFTP Access